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The Clinical Implication of the Katha Upanishad: An Analytical Study of Existential Integration



Author(s)

Aditya Angiras

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DOI:10.17265/2159-5542/2026.03.003

Panjab University, Chandigarh, India

Ancient Hindu philosophical texts have startled European thinkers and philosophers in the 17th century and have impacted the entire humanity at the global level; various scholars like Arthur Schopenhauer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and other learned scholars of Indology have given their positive opinion in their respective contemporary researches and translation and suggest to understand these texts at deeper level. Edwin Arnold opines these texts as “par excellence”, “The way to cross over the Death” in order to realize the actual form of blissful existence that is self-effulgent and nothing remains for attainment after realizing the self in the entire cosmos. The Katha Upanishad is one of the most celebrated and studied Vedanta sub-school scriptures. Centred on a dialogue between a young boy named Nachiketa and Yama, the god of death, it defines the nature of the self, the actual meaning of liberation, and the primacy of Self-knowledge over material pleasure. Unlike many abstract Vedic texts, it conveys profound metaphysics through a compelling, dramatic narrative. This story-driven format makes highly complex spiritual concepts accessible to a wider audience. It introduces the vital distinction between “Shreyas” (lasting path to spiritual liberation) and “Preyas” (the pleasant, temporary pursuit of material wealth and worldly desires) and underlines the need to understand the true and false nature of our desires in a more meaningful way to realize the everlasting state of happiness. The text contains the iconic parable of the chariot which explains the life process. It illustrates how the body is a chariot, the intellect is the charioteer, the mind is the reins, and the senses are the horses. In fact, this framework remains a fundamental teaching on righteous form of mindfulness choice and implications which can be included in the process of clinical counselling.

cognitive process, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), Upanishads, clinical counselling, Ancient Indian wisdom, the psychology art of choice

Aditya Angiras. (2026). The Clinical Implication of the Katha Upanishad: An Analytical Study of Existential Integration. Psychology Research, May-June 2026, Vol. 16, No. 3, 124-143. doi:10.17265/2159-5542/2026.03.003.